Eleventh Hour Betrayal of Pubs & Restaurants on Indoor Dining
Responding to the delayed reopening of indoor dining, Aontú Leader & Meath West D Peadar Tóibín has slammed the government for their eleventh hour betrayal of pubs and restaurants, and another instance of government outsourcing decisions to NPHET.
He stated;
“Ireland is alone in all of Europe in the banning of indoor dining and drinking. This is an absolute disgrace. Many of these pubs and restaurants are closed for over 430 days. They are closed longer than their counterparts in any other European country. Tens of thousands of hospitality staff are out of work. Many are being pushed into poverty and debt. Many businesses are in a Zombie state, depending on Government supports to survive. Aviation and Tourism are also suffering because of this government’s refusal to embrace simple Rapid Antigen Testing”.
“FF/FG/Greens have provided no scientific evidence to indicate that indoor dining in Ireland is more dangerous than anywhere else in Europe. The government confirmed there was no independent analysis of NPHET modelling projections. Leo Varadkar himself stated that there was no science behind the reopening of Hotel indoor dining and pubs and restaurants being closed for indoor dining. Ireland has a history of at times being inward looking and insular. It is jaw drawing that the government is making these decisions with no reference to scientific approach of every other country. The Government are scared of making a decision”.
“How can the Hospitality Sector be expected to recover if this is the government’s response? One week in July is equivalent to six weeks in winter, in terms of revenue. Closing for two weeks in July means the loss of 25% of the peak staycation revenue. How can Hospitality recover when it cannot function?”
“The opposition are practically silent. They will complain about the edges of this decision but they will not challenge the govern head on. SF seems to stand for sitting in the fence these days”.
